2007 Monaco Cayman XL 37 pbd ???

[bcforce]

Hello all! Many moons since my last post. Am thinking about getting a 2007 Monaco Cayman XL 37 from a friend. It has 2 solar panels added. The asking price is $80,000. Does that price sound in the ballpark? I have been driving an 06 Chev Duramax pulling an 06 Montana 2980 RL, but the wife and I are ready to try the motorhome and toad thing. Any other suggestions as to where to start with selecting a good "starter" motorhome? Thanks.

[Ivylog]

DSDP Don wrote:
Ron... Monaco is gone! What you have now is a Fleetwood body thrown on a Freightliner chassis and then called a Monaco. What made Monaco was their proprietary chassis and that was scrapped.

OP, I doubt you care about the 2014 and newer Monaco's and how they are no longer on the outboard airbags. I agree this would be a deal breaker if I was looking for a new Monaco. The good news is the excellent customer support will continue under this owner. Last week they emailed me a wiring diagram of a system I'm looking to modify.
Before buying any older MH I'd call their customer support with a question on the one you are looking to buy... maybe a wiring diagram and layout. That should let you know what kind of service you'll get if you buy that brand.

[DSDP_Don]

Ron....I agree that the trailing arms had nothing to do with their bankruptcy, but they didn't survive. Monaco is gone! What you have now is a Fleetwood body thrown on a Freightliner chassis and then called a Monaco. What made Monaco was their proprietary chassis and that was scrapped.

[RonaldNC]

JimM68 wrote:


RR4R is arguably the one and only reason that Monaco went bankrupt.

There is no question that the RR4R chassis has some issues... which I believe much can be fixed for about $3,000 through Source Engineering products. I bought mine knowing the of the issue and fixed it with their trailing arms and then added their ride enhancement kit. True, it doesn't ride like an 8 or 10 bagger... but it rides much better than my old gasser and about the same as my friend's Tiffin.

However, to be clear, this issue had nothing to do with Monaco's bankruptcy. They simply overbuilt their inventory just when the recession hit. They weren't the only ones... a lot of brands went under. We're all fortunate that the brand survived.

[JimM68]

Look for a pre bankruptcy Monaco with an RR8R 8 air bag chassis, such as our kn ight, and also including endeavor, ambassador, and (why can't I ever remember the Monaco name of the next coach higher in he pecking order than mine?)

These are great coaches, no need to go into this with all the known problems with the rr4r. Even if the trailing arms were done, this is an inferior chassis, made to compete with freightliner and nothing more.

RR4R is arguably the one and only reason that Monaco went bankrupt.

[bcforce]

Thanks so much for the input from all of you. I know now to keep looking!!

[Raymon]

If the unit has Accu-Slide systems that utilized 8 cables per slide, I definitely would not purchase. These slide mechanisms were not reliable and many RV service facilities did not want to work on them. I am speaking from my personal experience.

[JR45]

Keep looking. My daughter had to have the trailing arms and the 4-Bag Ride Enhancement Kit installed in Fairbanks, Alaska on a Monaco shipping+install around $7000 and to me it's rough riding, for the money you can get better.
http://sourcerv.com/trailing_arm
JR

[DSDP_Don]

"bcforce"....You'll be very disappointed with that coach. Our friends have that EXACT model. Here are the issues.

-It has the 4 airbag chassis (Roadmaster R4R)and is VERY rough riding. I worked on our friends and added Koni shocks, adjusted the ride height and brought the air pressure down to the minimum for their weight and the coach is still rough riding. So much so, it knocks the clothes off the rear bedroom closet rod on every trip.

-That coach has the recalled trailing arms and they would need to be replaced if it hasn't been done already, about $3500.00.

-The 07 Cayman came with the Allison 2500 transmission and Cummins ISB engine. The engine has modest power and will move the coach along well (about 45 mph in the mountains towing a small toad). Typically, if more power is desired, the ISB can be uprated, but in the case of this coach, the transmission is already at it's max. Most savvy buyers will look for the Allison 3000, so upgrades can be made at a later time.

-The Cayman, as well as most other Monacos in those years had paint issues. Unless it's been stored inside, the clear coat along the roofline is probably already failing.

The 37' was very roomy with the four slides, but I think you'll be disappointed with the all the issues above.

[randallb]

It is the 4 bagger so heed the above warning. I myself would be looking for a 2008. In '08 the engine was upgraded to the 6.7L, 340HP ISB as an option. This is a much better performing engine that the 325HP, 5.9 ISB in the '07.
Randy

[wolfe10]

If on the 4 air bag Roadmaster chassis verify that the rear trailing arms have been replaced with the NEW DESIGN arms or deduct so that they can be replaced:

http://community.fmca.com/topic/569-important-safety-problem-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/